If you’re new to the process or even if you’ve hired event staffing companies before, it is important to realize that hiring the right arms and legs requires a good degree of research and the willingness to ask hard questions. This process may require a slice of your schedule and subject you to some companies that may not wish to give you full answers to some of your questions, but in the end it’s required if you want the best feet on the street. Follow this process and the investigation will pay off.

INITIAL STAFFING INTERROGATION. When you begin your conversation with an event staff company, these are some of the questions that need to be asked:

• What is their reach and where can they staff these events? Let’s be realistic – everybody can offer staff in major markets. But can they get you somebody in smaller markets, or even out-of-the-way places? You won’t have a problem hiring an event staffing company for a special activity in the heart of Manhattan – but what if the Manhattan you are planning for is Manhattan, Kansas?
  
• What is their rate card, and are there other professional services which can be provided that are not included on the rate card? Matching up the rate to see what they’re going to be charging you across the board for these services is going to be a huge factor according to their budgets.
  
• How many people per market do they have? Determining an agency’s genuine depth is one of the most crucial elements of picking a staffing agency. And remember that the quality of support is just as vital as the quantity of people available for that support. Additional questions needs to be asked on this point: Do they have one or more dedicated persons in their office to handle requests? Do they get the time sheets with the names of the people and phone numbers prior to the event? What is their process for recording billable hours? How fast is their invoicing turnaround? And last, but by no means least, how fast do they pay their talent? Any good agency should have no qualms telling their clients what they typically pay their staff and how fast they pay their staff.
  
• How deep is their database? It is important to get deep into the event staffing company’s database to see and evaluate the staff members they have in their files.

REFERENCE CHECKS. The next part of the process involves the company’s recent work. Start by examining the past events that the staffing company has worked on. And when you look at the company’s past events, and pay close attention to three key considerations: (1) the different regions they were able to staff in, (2) the number of people that were able to staff with, and (3) if they were able to correctly match the target demographic.

“When you have this information, get a list of references from the staffing company and call all their top clients,” says Lawrence E. Hess, president and CEO of Encore Nationwide. “Don’t be afraid to ask in-depth questions in order to find out if the company did, in fact, work well and if they are capable of accomplishing the different things that they’re supposed to be doing.”

Some of the questions you need to ask the reference clients can include the following:

• Did the event staffing company meet or exceed expectations, or were you underwhelmed by their work?
• Were you satisfied with the financial aspects of your working relationship with the event staffing company? Specifically, was every dollar and cent accounted for?
• Who did they recruit for your event, and do you feel they brought in the best talent for the program?
• Were you present during the run of the program, and if so were you satisfied with how the program was conducted?
• Do you have any clear and measurable results from the special event? Specifically, was there a rise in sales or inquiries which could be traced solely to this event?
• Did any surprises, either pleasant or unpleasant, arise during the event? If so, how did the event staffing company respond?
• Will you be using the company again?

FINANCIAL INQUIRIES. Once you have the background information in hand and if it balances to your satisfaction, the next area of focus should be the RFP. The quality event staffing companies should have their proverbial stuff together. They should be able to send you a professional-level RFP that outlines all of the different events they’ve been able to coordinate. They should provide a good rate card with the rates for all of the different services they provide. They should also outline a good protocol for staff ordering, time sheets, and time management procedures.

“Be prepared to ask questions and get answers on other financial aspects,” adds Encore Nationwide’s Hess. “What kinds of credit lines does the firm have? What do they pay their people, and when is payment provided? And what kind of insurance do they have? You’ll want to be sure they have a general commercial liability policy with an umbrella policy, plus nationwide worker’s comp and a general commercial auto line.”

THE FINAL WORD. Doing a background check on an event staffing company obviously requires a great deal of time, patience and persistence. There are a lot of hard questions that need to be asked, and anything less than honest, in-depth answers should not be accepted. If anything, don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions or to demand additional information if the responses you receive seem vague or evasive. And do not be afraid to ask additional questions if you find major discrepancies in the information you are receiving. Remember, the only truly dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.